“for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?  for to the one who pleases Him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to the one who pleases God.  this also is vanity and a striving after the wind.”  ecclesiastes 2:26

“for we are not unaware of his schemes.”  2 Corinthians 2:11

i might call myself lots of things, but shopper is not one of them.  if i need something i’ll go out and brave the crowds; otherwise I’m fairly content with what i have.

i prefer consignment clothing to new, partly due to cost and also because i can have more variety.  there’s a humility of atmosphere God offers when we choose to receive the blessing of the gently used rather than always demanding to be the original owner; I’ve found this to be true whether it be the house, the car, the furniture, or the clothing.

sometimes, though, i will spend the money on a fresh, new item.  maybe to treat myself, maybe it’s one of a kind, maybe the sale really is that good.

last night as tim and i were preparing to attend a worship event – yes, a worship event:  celebrating the goodness of God – i searched my closet for that piece i let myself buy a few weeks ago.  the one that made me feel especially pretty, the one i took with me on our anniversary weekend trip to see our grandchildren in south carolina.

usually an overpacker, i was particularly proud of myself on this trip, because i packed only a few more items than i knew i would need, plus i packed only favorite things.

it only took a few minutes of searching last night to realize something was amiss.  not only could i not locate the desired piece, but a few others seemed to be missing as well.  where was my clothing?

and then it hit me.

no, i didn’t.  NO, i didn’t.  NO, i didn’t.

yes.  i did.

standing frozen in my bedroom, i realized i had not emptied the closet as we checked out of the hotel those few weeks ago.  we were rushing to pack, trying to make it to breakfast, and in my haste i left our clothing – mine and tim’s.

careless.  how could i be so careless?  tim immediately called the hotel and described the situation.  the clerk was more than accommodating and searched the lost and found for our items.  she located a bag containing every item we remember leaving.  every item except one.

i’m ashamed to tell you how upset i became as i realized that my treasured item was not among the found.  not only was i angry at myself for my carelessness, i was angry at “whomever” decided to take the nicest piece and keep it for themselves.  the clerk apologized and promised to look further.  i said thank you.  but i didn’t mean it.

i’m also ashamed to say that even though i know it’s only a piece of clothing, and that i have way more clothing than i need anyway, and that – after all – we were on our way to a WORSHIP event, i couldn’t stop thinking about what had been taken from me.  i rationalized in my mind all the reasons i should and should not be upset.

i’m sorry to say that it wasn’t until we arrived at the event that i was able to really let it go.  let’s be honest.  it’s just not possible to sing to Jesus, “You set me free; You are my everything,” when you’re fixated on some (truly) meaningless material possession that doesn’t even deserve to compete for your attention.  #hypocrite  #idolatry  #repent

the more i let it go, the more open my ears were to what God wanted to say to me. i remembered that “every good thing comes down from the Father of lights.”  it’s all His anyway.  none of my stuff is even mine.  i know this, but i let the enemy distract me. 

i began to pray blessing on the person who took it.  yes, blessing!  because hey, if i have the Spirit of God in me, then everything i own has been blessed with His Spirit also.  so wherever that shirt is, the presence of Jesus is too, and i’ll just bet the person who took it needs a little Jesus!

hallelujah!  the gospel is being spread through a piece of clothing.  only God can do that.

so this morning i got up, and you would think i’d be all refreshed and free and celebrating the simple lessons God is teaching me, right?

nope.

i got up thinking about that piece.  and how i really still want it.  and that it was new and i never even got to wear it; not even once.

seriously?  I’M STILL THERE?!?  what is wrong with me?  this is ridiculous.

so i sat down.  in the quiet.  and i opened the scriptures.

i read psalms, proverbs, and then ecclesiastes.

ecclesiastes.  vanity, vanity, all is vanity.  go read it for yourself.  there’s so much wisdom in there.  i read the entire book.

my God reminded me again how very real the enemy is.  how he is always looking for ground in my life.  available space where he can set up camp.  get some attention.  pull my focus from God, His words, His ways.  influence me as much as possible to think and act and speak like the world.  persuade me to dwell on things that turn into obsessions, idols, little gods.

i began to think of all sorts of ways the enemy can get ground in my life:  LOSSES.  DISAPPOINTMENTS.  UNFORGIVENESS.  SELF PITY.  SELF CONDEMNATION.  RELIGION.  SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS.  CRITICAL SPIRIT.  ARROGANCE.  IDOLATRY (possessions, knowledge, entertainment, self indulgence.)

and well, i don’t have to tell you that my silly little clothing item all but disintegrated in the atmosphere of the Spirit.  it just couldn’t survive.  because i determined not to let the enemy have that ground.  it’s NOT AVAILABLE!

i’m also looking at those other vulnerable areas in my life, asking God to search my heart and show me where i’m being distracted by my losses, disappointments, and self pity. because that’s available ground. 

is there someone i haven’t forgiven?  that’s available ground.

am i condemning myself for my sins and imperfections?  available ground.

are my thoughts praising myself for my own spiritual right-ness?  available ground.

am i spending myself on entertainment, technology, social media?  available ground.

am i promoting the words of my favorite speaker, band, blogger, social cause, even my church, more than the gospel of Jesus?  available ground.

listen.  the enemy never lets up.  he hates God and he hates us.  the scriptures tell us he constantly prowls around looking for someone to devour.  he’s a schemer.  he watches us, learns our habits, determines our weaknesses, and then he pounces on us in our distraction.  and he gains ground.  because we let him.

in our distraction, we let him.

in our hunger for entertainment, we let him.

in our thirst for attention and fame, we let him.

in our gathering and our collecting, we let him.

so what’s the alternative?  it’s right up there in ecclesiastes:  “for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?  for to the one who pleases Him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy,”

THAT is the alternative.  we acknowledge God as the only source of true enjoyment and fulfillment.  we lay down our distractions, refusing to make space available for the enemy, and we fix our eyes on Jesus, striving to please Him only.

and then we rejoice, receiving the rewards for pleasing Him:  wisdom and knowledge and joy.

and the enemy gets no ground.